* *WHEN ADDING EXAMPLES FOR TERMS, PLEASE KEEP IT SHORT
OR LINK IT TO A SEPARATE PAGE* *
A Abstract array - An ordered sequence of items that can be efficiently accessed at random through an integer index. Abstract class - A class that cannot be instantiated. Abstraction - The process of finding the essential feature set for a building block of a program such as a class. Abstract list - An ordered sequence of items that can be traversed sequentially and that allows for efficient insertion and removal of elements at any position. Abstract method - A method with a name, parameter types, and return type but without an implementation. Accessor method - A method that returns data; accesses an object but does not change it. EX: getX(); does not change the state of its implicit parameter. Actual parameter - The expression supplied for a formal parameter of a method by the caller. ADT (abstract data type) - A specification of the fundemental operations that characterize a data type, without supplying an implementation. Aggregation - The "has-a" relationship between classes. Algorithm - An unambiguous, executable, and terminating specification of a way to solve a problem. API (application programming interface) - A code library for building programs. Applet - A graphical Java program that executes inside a web browser or applet viewer. Argument - An actual parameter in a method call, or one of the values combined by an operator. Array - Simply, lists stored into one variable. Collection of values of the same type stored in contiguous memory locations, each of which can be accessed by an integer index. ArrayList - A Java class that implements a dymnamically growing array of objects. Can store a variety of types and its size can be easily changed. Assertion - A claim that a certain condition holds in a particular program location. Assignment - Placing a new value into a variable using = not the same as mathematical equality. Association - A relationship between classes in which one can navigate from objects of one class to objects of the other class, usually by following object references.
B Balanced tree - A tree in which each subtree has the property that the number of descendants to the left is approximatelt the same as the number of descendants to the right. Binary file - A file in which values are stored in their binary representation and cannot be read as text. Binary operator - An operator that takes two arguments, for example + in x + y. Binary search - A fast algorithm to find a value in a sorted array. It narrows the search down to half of the array in every step. Binary search tree - A binary tree in which each subtree has the property that all left descendants are smaller than the value stored in the root, and all right descendants are larger. Binary tree - A tree in which each node has at most two child nodes. Bit - Binary digit; the smallest unit of information, having two possible values of 0 or 1. Black-box testing - Testing a method without knowing its implementation. Block- A group of statements bracketed by { }. **Bluej** - Bluej is an easy-to-use program for learning Java. It is made especially for first year students learning the program language. Bluej is pronounced the same way you say the bird, blue jay. Boolean type - A type with two possible values: true and false. Border layout - A layout management scheme in which components are placed into the center or one of the four borders of their container. Boundry test case - A test case involving values that are at the outer boundry of the set of legal values. Bounds error - Trying to access an array element that is outside the legal range. Breakpoint - A point in a program, specified in a debugger, at which it stops executing the program and lets the user inspect the program state. Break - A Java keyword used to resume program execution at the statement immediately following the current statement. If followed by a label, the program resumes execution at the labeled statement. break statement - A statement that terminates a loop or swtich statement. Buffer - A tempory storage location for holding values that have been produced and are waiting to be consumed. Buffered input - Input that is gathered in batches, for example, a line at a time. Byte - An number made up of eight bits. Essentially all currently manufactured computers use a byte as the smallest unit of storage in memory. Bytecode - Instructions for the Java virtual machine.
C Call by reference - A method call mechanism in which the method recives a copy of the contents of a variable supplied as an actual parameter. Call by reference enables a method to change the contents of the original varible so that the change remains in effect after the method returns. Call by value - A method call mechanism in which the method recives a copy of the contents of a variable supplied as an actual parameter. java uses only call by value. If a parameter variable's is a class, its value is an object reference,so the method can alter that objact but cannot make the parameter variable refer to a different object. Call stack - The ordered set of all methods that currently have deen called but not yet terminated, starting with the current method and ending with main. Case-sensitive - Distinguishing upper- and lowwercase characters. Case - A Java keyword that defines a group of statements to begin executing if a value specified matches the value defined by a preceding switch keyword. Cast - Explicitly converting a value from one type to a different type. For example, the cast from a floating-point number x to an integer is expressed in Java by the cast notation (int)x. catch clause - A part of a try block that is executed when a matching exception is thrown by any statement in the try block. char - A Java keyword used to declare a variable of type character. Class - programming language construct used to group related fields and methods. A programmer-defined data type; a class depends on another class if it uses objects of that other class. Cloning - Making a copy of an object whose state can be modified independently of the original object. Comment - An explanation to help the human reader understand a section of a program; ignored by the compiler.
// this comments out this whole line/*
* this comments
* out this
* entire
* section
*/
Compiler - A program that translates code in a high-level language (such as Java) to machine instructions (such as bytecode for the Java virtual machine). Compile-time error - An error that is detected when a program is compiled. Compound Statement- A statement such as if or while that is made up of several parts such as a condition and a body. Computer Science- the branch of engineering science that studies, with the aid of computers, computable processes and structures Concatenation-Placing one string after another to form a new string. Console Program- A Java program that does not have a graphical window. A console program reads input from the keyboard and writes output to the terminal screen. Constant- A value that cannot be changed by a program. In Java, constants are defined with the keyword final. Construction- Setting a newly allocated object to an initial state. Constructor - using "new", a method that is automatically called and runned when a object is created by a class. Can be used for initializing process. Content pane - The part of a Swig frame that holds the user interface components of the frame. Coupling- The degree to which classes are related to each other by dependency. CPU (Central Processing Unit) - The part of a computer that executes the machine instructions. The key component of a computer system, which contains the circuitry necessary to interpret and execute program instructions
D Debugger- A program that lets a user run another program one or a few steps at a time, stop execution, and inspect the variables in order to analyze it for bugs. Default - A Java keyword optionally used after all case conditions in a switch statement. If all case conditions are not matched by the value of the switch variable, the default keyword will be executed. Declarations - are formed by placing names of the objects to be introduced after the name of the type of the object , methods are public, but named variables are private so that other objects can't use them, it helps java catch your typos Dependency- The "uses" relationship between, in which one class needs services provided by another class. Directory - A structure on a disk that can hold files or other directories ; also called a folder. Dot operator - A period character that allows you to access variables and methods of an object. Double - a number with a decimal point.
E Encapsulation - The hiding of implementation details. Escape character - A character in text that is not taken literally but has a special meaning when combined with the character or characters that follow it. The \ character is an escape character in Java strings. Event listerner - is notified when a particular event occurs. Explicit parameter- A parameter of a method other than the object on which the method is invoked. Expression - A combination of one or more operands and their operators. Arithmetic expression compute numeric result and make use of the arithmetic operators. Extension- The last part of a file name, which specifies the file type. For example, the extension .java denotes a Java file.
F Fibonacci numbers- The sequence of numbers 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ..., in which every term is the sum of its two predecessors. Fields - data that has several parts can be divided in fields. EX: day, month, year File - A sequence of bytes that is stored on disk. Final variable - is a constant once its value has been set it cannot be changed. Floating-point number - A number that can have a fractional part. Font- A set of character shapes in a particular style and size. For Loop - a line of code that is repeatedly executed for a known amount of times Formal parameter- A variable in a method definition; it is initialized with an actual parameter value when the method is called. Frame- A window with a border and a title bar.
G Graphics context - A class through which a programmer can cause shapes to appear on a window or off-screen bitmap. Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) - A processing chip that is meant to solely process the graphics information for the computer. **Greenfoot** - A program made for learning Java. With Greenfoot, you can create easy-to-make simple JAVA games. It was developed by the same company as Bluej. It is highly recommended by Brian Meermans, possibly the smartest teacher currently working in WSHS. Grid layout- A layout management scheme in which components are placed into a two-dimensional grid.
H Hard-drive - The bulk of the memory of a personal computer is magnetically stored on hard disks that constitute the hard drive. Information in the hard drive is durable, in that it remains magnetically stored when the computer is turned off. Heatsink - a metallic heat exchanger designed to absorb and dissipate excess heat from one of the devices, as a transistor or resistor, in a circuit. HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)- The language in which web pages are described.
I If Statement - statement lets a program carry out different actions depending on the outcome of a condition. Implicit parameter - The object on which a method is invoked. For example, in the call x.f(x), the object x is the implicit parameter of the method f. Immutable class - has no mutator methods Instance of a class - An object whose type is that class. Interface - is a group of related methods with empty bodies. In the Java programming language, an interface is a reference type, similar to a class, that can contain only constants, method signatures, and nested types. There are no method bodies. Interfaces cannot be instantiated—they can only be implemented by classes or extended by other interfaces. Integer - a number that cannot have a fractional part. Integer division-Taking the quotient of two integers, removing the remainder. In Java the / symbol means integer division if both arguments are integers. e.g., 11/4 is 2, not 2.75.
J Java - a programming language invented by Sun Microsystems. It is mostly used for network environment but also used in normal programming. javadoc - The documentation generator in the Java SDK. It extracts documentation comments from Java source files and produces a set of linked HTML files. Java Native Interface (JNI) - This allows for java code to call or be called by native applications, such as programs specific to the hardware or operating system that is running. Java Runtime Environment (JRE) - This allows a computer to run java code.
K Keyboard - A hardware device consisting of a number of mechanical buttons (keys) which the user presses to input characters to a computer.
L Library - A set of precompiled classes that can be included into programs. List - A Java class that implements a dynamically growing array of objects. Linked List- consists of a sequence of nodes, each containing data fields and one or two references pointing to the next and/or previous nodes. The difference of a linked list over a conventional array is that the order of the linked items may be different from the order that the data items are stored in memory or on disk, allowing the list of items to be accessed in a different order. Logic Error - this is when the program compiles correctly, and will run without error, but does not do the intended purpose that it was meant to do. This is usually caused by an error caused by the programmer. Logic errors include multiplying when you should be dividing, adding when you should be subtracting, and opening and using data from the wrong file. Loops - shortcuts for recursion. Sequences of instructions that are executed repeatedly. There are 3 types of loops: Do While (rarely used), While, For.
M Main - the name of the method Method - A sequence of statements that had a name, may have formal parameters, and may return a value. A method can be invoked any number of times, with different values for its parameters. A method separates blocks of code to do one specific action. It is the verb in the java language. EX: getX(); can never change parameters of primitive type, can change the state of an object reference parameter, but it cannot replace the object reference with another. Modem - an electronic device that makes possible the transmission of data to or from a computer via telephone or other communication lines. Motherboard - a rigid, slotted board upon which other boards that contain the basic circuitry of a computer or of a computer component can be mounted. Mouse - a palm-sized, button-operated device that can be slid on wheels or ball bearings over a desktop to move the cursor Mutator Method - a method that changes the state of an object.
N Newline - expressed by " \n ", indicates the end of a line new Operator - an operator that allocates new objects Null - a reference that does not refer to any object
O Objects - Represents something with which we can interact in a program. An object provides a collection of services taht we can tell it to perform for us. The services are defined by methods in a class. Operating System(OS) - software that controls the execution of computer programs and may provide various services Order of Operations - The order in which an equation is performed. The order is (from top to bottom):
//Parenthesis//Exponents//Multiplication//Division//Modulus (only applies in programming)//Addition//Subtraction
Overloading - occurs when more than one meaning is assigned to a method name Overloaded methods - are methods with the same name but different parameter types. Overriding - redefining a method in a subclass
P Package - a collection of similar classes; java classes are grouped into packages. if you use a class from another package you must importan the class.
here's a few:
java.applet
java.awt
java.awt.color (provides classes for color spaces)
java.awt.font
java.awt.image
java.util
Parallel arrays - arrays of the same length, in which certain elements are logically related Parameter - variable that must be given a specific value during the execution of a program or of a procedure within a program. EX: setX() public - describes a feature (ex. a method) that can be accessed by all classes private - something that is only accessible by the same class or one of its inner classes precondition - a condition that must be true when a method is called in order for it to work correctly
Q Queues- some queues order elements in FIFO (first-in-first-out). there are also LIFO (last-in-first-out) queues. The remove( ) and
poll( ) methods remove and return the head of the queue.
R RAM( random-access memory) - stuff (electronic circuits to be fancy) that stores information (code and data) needed to run programs Random - contains no pattern or reason. Be sure to " import java.util.*; "
Random gen = newRandom();// gen is the variable name of the generatorint carrotSticks = gen.nextInt(15);//a random integer 0-14 will be stored into carrotSticks. Int can be replaced with Double
Recursion - a method that can call itself continuously
[[code format="java"]]
public int fibonacci(int n)
{
if (n <= 2)
return 1;
else
return fibonacci(n-1) + fibonacci(n-2);
}
Return value - this is the value that is returned by a method.
publicdouble sprintTime(){//this returns a doublereturn4.35;//4.35 is the value that is returned
Runtime Error - an error that occurs when the program is runned (runned or ran?)
S Signature - the name of a method and the types of its parameters Search - a way of finding where a particular value resides in some list Sequential Search - a search that goes through every element of a list trying to find the location where a particular value resides. Sort - a way of rearanging your code so that a list of ints or Integers will be organized from one extrema to another Speaker - electro-acoustic transducer that converts electrical signals into sounds loud enough to be heard at a distance String - a set of characters; is a sequence of characters enclosed in quotations marks. EX: System.out.print("All inside the quotes is a string"); Subclass - a class within a class that inherits all the superclass's variables and methods, but adds instance variables and new methods, or redefines methods Substring()- method used to retrieve a string from within a string Switch Statements- shortcut to multiple if statements Syntax - the makeup of the programming language. proper "grammar" in your programming Syntax error - an error that occurs when the program tries to compile Sun Microsystems - The developers of the different Java Development Kits that we use inside Blue J and Greenfoot.
T Tab character- a constant amount of space used to organize writing. timer- judges the amount of time between to actions.
U
V Variable - stores a specific value void - added to a method where nothing is returned void keyword - a keyword that does not indicate a type or known type
W while loop - a statement that allows code to be executed repeatedly based on a given boolean condition; essentially, it is a repeating if statement White space - section of code containing only space, tab, and newline characters Writer a class to which characters are to be set
* *KEEP IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER* *
WILL MAKE THIS A LOT EASIER TO VIEW
* *WHEN ADDING EXAMPLES FOR TERMS, PLEASE KEEP IT SHORT
OR LINK IT TO A SEPARATE PAGE* *
A
Abstract array - An ordered sequence of items that can be efficiently accessed at random through an integer index.
Abstract class - A class that cannot be instantiated.
Abstraction - The process of finding the essential feature set for a building block of a program such as a class.
Abstract list - An ordered sequence of items that can be traversed sequentially and that allows for efficient insertion and removal of elements at any position.
Abstract method - A method with a name, parameter types, and return type but without an implementation.
Accessor method - A method that returns data; accesses an object but does not change it. EX: getX(); does not change the state of its implicit parameter.
Actual parameter - The expression supplied for a formal parameter of a method by the caller.
ADT (abstract data type) - A specification of the fundemental operations that characterize a data type, without supplying an implementation.
Aggregation - The "has-a" relationship between classes.
Algorithm - An unambiguous, executable, and terminating specification of a way to solve a problem.
API (application programming interface) - A code library for building programs.
Applet - A graphical Java program that executes inside a web browser or applet viewer.
Argument - An actual parameter in a method call, or one of the values combined by an operator.
Array - Simply, lists stored into one variable. Collection of values of the same type stored in contiguous memory locations, each of which can be accessed by an integer index.
ArrayList - A Java class that implements a dymnamically growing array of objects. Can store a variety of types and its size can be easily changed.
Assertion - A claim that a certain condition holds in a particular program location.
Assignment - Placing a new value into a variable using = not the same as mathematical equality.
Association - A relationship between classes in which one can navigate from objects of one class to objects of the other class, usually by following object references.
B
Balanced tree - A tree in which each subtree has the property that the number of descendants to the left is approximatelt the same as the number of descendants to the right.
Binary file - A file in which values are stored in their binary representation and cannot be read as text.
Binary operator - An operator that takes two arguments, for example + in x + y.
Binary search - A fast algorithm to find a value in a sorted array. It narrows the search down to half of the array in every step.
Binary search tree - A binary tree in which each subtree has the property that all left descendants are smaller than the value stored in the root, and all right descendants are larger.
Binary tree - A tree in which each node has at most two child nodes.
Bit - Binary digit; the smallest unit of information, having two possible values of 0 or 1.
Black-box testing - Testing a method without knowing its implementation.
Block- A group of statements bracketed by { }.
**Bluej** - Bluej is an easy-to-use program for learning Java. It is made especially for first year students learning the program language. Bluej is pronounced the same way you say the bird, blue jay.
Boolean type - A type with two possible values: true and false.
Border layout - A layout management scheme in which components are placed into the center or one of the four borders of their container.
Boundry test case - A test case involving values that are at the outer boundry of the set of legal values.
Bounds error - Trying to access an array element that is outside the legal range.
Breakpoint - A point in a program, specified in a debugger, at which it stops executing the program and lets the user inspect the program state.
Break - A Java keyword used to resume program execution at the statement immediately following the current statement. If followed by a label, the program resumes execution at the labeled statement.
break statement - A statement that terminates a loop or swtich statement.
Buffer - A tempory storage location for holding values that have been produced and are waiting to be consumed.
Buffered input - Input that is gathered in batches, for example, a line at a time.
Byte - An number made up of eight bits. Essentially all currently manufactured computers use a byte as the smallest unit of storage in memory.
Bytecode - Instructions for the Java virtual machine.
C
Call by reference - A method call mechanism in which the method recives a copy of the contents of a variable supplied as an actual parameter. Call by reference enables a method to change the contents of the original varible so that the change remains in effect after the method returns.
Call by value - A method call mechanism in which the method recives a copy of the contents of a variable supplied as an actual parameter. java uses only call by value. If a parameter variable's is a class, its value is an object reference,so the method can alter that objact but cannot make the parameter variable refer to a different object.
Call stack - The ordered set of all methods that currently have deen called but not yet terminated, starting with the current method and ending with main.
Case-sensitive - Distinguishing upper- and lowwercase characters.
Case - A Java keyword that defines a group of statements to begin executing if a value specified matches the value defined by a preceding switch keyword.
Cast - Explicitly converting a value from one type to a different type. For example, the cast from a floating-point number x to an integer is expressed in Java by the cast notation (int)x.
catch clause - A part of a try block that is executed when a matching exception is thrown by any statement in the try block.
char - A Java keyword used to declare a variable of type character.
Class - programming language construct used to group related fields and methods. A programmer-defined data type; a class depends on another class if it uses objects of that other class.
Cloning - Making a copy of an object whose state can be modified independently of the original object.
Comment - An explanation to help the human reader understand a section of a program; ignored by the compiler.
Compiler - A program that translates code in a high-level language (such as Java) to machine instructions (such as bytecode for the Java virtual machine).
Compile-time error - An error that is detected when a program is compiled.
Compound Statement- A statement such as if or while that is made up of several parts such as a condition and a body.
Computer Science- the branch of engineering science that studies, with the aid of computers, computable processes and structures
Concatenation-Placing one string after another to form a new string.
Console Program- A Java program that does not have a graphical window. A console program reads input from the keyboard and writes output to the terminal screen.
Constant- A value that cannot be changed by a program. In Java, constants are defined with the keyword final.
Construction- Setting a newly allocated object to an initial state.
Constructor - using "new", a method that is automatically called and runned when a object is created by a class. Can be used for initializing process.
Content pane - The part of a Swig frame that holds the user interface components of the frame.
Coupling- The degree to which classes are related to each other by dependency.
CPU (Central Processing Unit) - The part of a computer that executes the machine instructions. The key component of a computer system, which contains the circuitry necessary to interpret and execute program instructions
D
Debugger- A program that lets a user run another program one or a few steps at a time, stop execution, and inspect the variables in order to analyze it for bugs. Default - A Java keyword optionally used after all case conditions in a switch statement. If all case conditions are not matched by the value of the switch variable, the default keyword will be executed.
Declarations - are formed by placing names of the objects to be introduced after the name of the type of the object , methods are public, but named variables are private so that other objects can't use them, it helps java catch your typos
Dependency- The "uses" relationship between, in which one class needs services provided by another class.
Directory - A structure on a disk that can hold files or other directories ; also called a folder.
Dot operator - A period character that allows you to access variables and methods of an object.
Double - a number with a decimal point.
E
Encapsulation - The hiding of implementation details.
Escape character - A character in text that is not taken literally but has a special meaning when combined with the character or characters that follow it. The \ character is an escape character in Java strings.
Event listerner - is notified when a particular event occurs.
Explicit parameter- A parameter of a method other than the object on which the method is invoked.
Expression - A combination of one or more operands and their operators. Arithmetic expression compute numeric result and make use of the arithmetic operators.
Extension- The last part of a file name, which specifies the file type. For example, the extension .java denotes a Java file.
F
Fibonacci numbers- The sequence of numbers 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ..., in which every term is the sum of its two predecessors.
Fields - data that has several parts can be divided in fields. EX: day, month, year
File - A sequence of bytes that is stored on disk.
Final variable - is a constant once its value has been set it cannot be changed.
Floating-point number - A number that can have a fractional part.
Font- A set of character shapes in a particular style and size.
For Loop - a line of code that is repeatedly executed for a known amount of times
Formal parameter- A variable in a method definition; it is initialized with an actual parameter value when the method is called.
Frame- A window with a border and a title bar.
G
Graphics context - A class through which a programmer can cause shapes to appear on a window or off-screen bitmap.
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) - A processing chip that is meant to solely process the graphics information for the computer.
**Greenfoot** - A program made for learning Java. With Greenfoot, you can create easy-to-make simple JAVA games. It was developed by the same company as Bluej. It is highly recommended by Brian Meermans, possibly the smartest teacher currently working in WSHS.
Grid layout- A layout management scheme in which components are placed into a two-dimensional grid.
H
Hard-drive - The bulk of the memory of a personal computer is magnetically stored on hard disks that constitute the hard drive. Information in the hard drive is durable, in that it remains magnetically stored when the computer is turned off.
Heatsink - a metallic heat exchanger designed to absorb and dissipate excess heat from one of the devices, as a transistor or resistor, in a circuit.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)- The language in which web pages are described.
I
If Statement - statement lets a program carry out different actions depending on the outcome of a condition.
Implicit parameter - The object on which a method is invoked. For example, in the call x.f(x), the object x is the implicit parameter of the method f.
Immutable class - has no mutator methods
Instance of a class - An object whose type is that class.
Interface - is a group of related methods with empty bodies. In the Java programming language, an interface is a reference type, similar to a class, that can contain only constants, method signatures, and nested types. There are no method bodies. Interfaces cannot be instantiated—they can only be implemented by classes or extended by other interfaces.
Integer - a number that cannot have a fractional part.
Integer division-Taking the quotient of two integers, removing the remainder. In Java the / symbol means integer division if both arguments are integers. e.g., 11/4 is 2, not 2.75.
J
Java - a programming language invented by Sun Microsystems. It is mostly used for network environment but also used in normal programming.
javadoc - The documentation generator in the Java SDK. It extracts documentation comments from Java source files and produces a set of linked HTML files.
Java Native Interface (JNI) - This allows for java code to call or be called by native applications, such as programs specific to the hardware or operating system that is running.
Java Runtime Environment (JRE) - This allows a computer to run java code.
K
Keyboard - A hardware device consisting of a number of mechanical buttons (keys) which the user presses to input characters to a computer.
L
Library - A set of precompiled classes that can be included into programs.
List - A Java class that implements a dynamically growing array of objects.
Linked List- consists of a sequence of nodes, each containing data fields and one or two references pointing to the next and/or previous nodes. The difference of a linked list over a conventional array is that the order of the linked items may be different from the order that the data items are stored in memory or on disk, allowing the list of items to be accessed in a different order.
Logic Error - this is when the program compiles correctly, and will run without error, but does not do the intended purpose that it was meant to do. This is usually caused by an error caused by the programmer. Logic errors include multiplying when you should be dividing, adding when you should be subtracting, and opening and using data from the wrong file.
Loops - shortcuts for recursion. Sequences of instructions that are executed repeatedly. There are 3 types of loops: Do While (rarely used), While, For.
M
Main - the name of the method
Method - A sequence of statements that had a name, may have formal parameters, and may return a value. A method can be invoked any number of times, with different values for its parameters. A method separates blocks of code to do one specific action. It is the verb in the java language. EX: getX(); can never change parameters of primitive type, can change the state of an object reference parameter, but it cannot replace the object reference with another.
Modem - an electronic device that makes possible the transmission of data to or from a computer via telephone or other communication lines.
Motherboard - a rigid, slotted board upon which other boards that contain the basic circuitry of a computer or of a computer component can be mounted.
Mouse - a palm-sized, button-operated device that can be slid on wheels or ball bearings over a desktop to move the cursor
Mutator Method - a method that changes the state of an object.
N
Newline - expressed by " \n ", indicates the end of a line
new Operator - an operator that allocates new objects
Null - a reference that does not refer to any object
O
Objects - Represents something with which we can interact in a program. An object provides a collection of services taht we can tell it to perform for us. The services are defined by methods in a class.
Operating System(OS) - software that controls the execution of computer programs and may provide various services
Order of Operations - The order in which an equation is performed. The order is (from top to bottom):
Overloading - occurs when more than one meaning is assigned to a method name
Overloaded methods - are methods with the same name but different parameter types.
Overriding - redefining a method in a subclass
P
Package - a collection of similar classes; java classes are grouped into packages. if you use a class from another package you must importan the class.
here's a few: java.applet java.awt java.awt.color (provides classes for color spaces) java.awt.font java.awt.image java.utilParallel arrays - arrays of the same length, in which certain elements are logically relatedParameter - variable that must be given a specific value during the execution of a program or of a procedure within a program. EX: setX()
public - describes a feature (ex. a method) that can be accessed by all classes
private - something that is only accessible by the same class or one of its inner classes
precondition - a condition that must be true when a method is called in order for it to work correctly
Q
Queues- some queues order elements in FIFO (first-in-first-out). there are also LIFO (last-in-first-out) queues. The remove( ) and
poll( ) methods remove and return the head of the queue.
R
RAM( random-access memory) - stuff (electronic circuits to be fancy) that stores information (code and data) needed to run programs
Random - contains no pattern or reason. Be sure to " import java.util.*; "
Recursion - a method that can call itself continuously
[[code format="java"]] public int fibonacci(int n) { if (n <= 2) return 1; else return fibonacci(n-1) + fibonacci(n-2); }Return value - this is the value that is returned by a method.
Runtime Error - an error that occurs when the program is runned (runned or ran?)
S
Signature - the name of a method and the types of its parameters
Search - a way of finding where a particular value resides in some list
Sequential Search - a search that goes through every element of a list trying to find the location where a particular value resides.
Sort - a way of rearanging your code so that a list of ints or Integers will be organized from one extrema to another
Speaker - electro-acoustic transducer that converts electrical signals into sounds loud enough to be heard at a distance
String - a set of characters; is a sequence of characters enclosed in quotations marks. EX: System.out.print("All inside the quotes is a string");
Subclass - a class within a class that inherits all the superclass's variables and methods, but adds instance variables and new methods, or redefines methods
Substring()- method used to retrieve a string from within a string
Switch Statements- shortcut to multiple if statements
Syntax - the makeup of the programming language. proper "grammar" in your programming
Syntax error - an error that occurs when the program tries to compile
Sun Microsystems - The developers of the different Java Development Kits that we use inside Blue J and Greenfoot.
T
Tab character- a constant amount of space used to organize writing.
timer- judges the amount of time between to actions.
U
V
Variable - stores a specific value
void - added to a method where nothing is returned
void keyword - a keyword that does not indicate a type or known type
W
while loop - a statement that allows code to be executed repeatedly based on a given boolean condition; essentially, it is a repeating if statement
White space - section of code containing only space, tab, and newline characters
Writer a class to which characters are to be set
X
Y
Z